A gas turbine engine generally includes a fan and a core arranged in flow communication with one another. Additionally, the core of the gas turbine engine general includes, in serial flow order, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. In operation, air is provided from the fan to an inlet of the compressor section where one or more axial compressors progressively compress the air until it reaches the combustion section. Fuel is mixed with the compressed air and burned within the combustion section to provide combustion gases. The combustion gases are routed from the combustion section to the turbine section. The flow of combustion gasses through the turbine section drives the turbine section and is then routed through the exhaust section, e.g., to atmosphere.
More commonly, non-traditional high temperature materials, such as ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials, are being used as structural components within gas turbine engines. For example, typical combustion sections include an inner liner, an outer liner, and a dome. More commonly, the inner and outer liners are being formed of CMC materials, while the dome is formed of a metal material. The metal dome has conventionally been required to attach certain fuel-air injection assemblies.
The inventors of the present disclosure have found that it may be beneficial to additionally form the dome of a CMC material such that the dome may be better suited to withstand the relatively high operating temperatures of the combustion section. However, attachment of the fuel-air injection assemblies to the dome can be problematic with such a configuration, as the fuel-air injection assemblies may be formed of a metal material. Accordingly, an improved attachment assembly for a fuel-air injector assembly for a gas turbine engine would be useful. More particularly, an improved attachment assembly for a fuel-air injector assembly to a CMC combustor dome would be particularly beneficial.